Team Portland Tennis Association Bylaws (revised 02/2012)
Article I — Association Name
The name of this organization is Team Portland Tennis Association (TPTA).
Article II — Association Statement of Purpose
The purpose of Team Portland Tennis Association is to promote tennis to the gay, lesbian, bisexual, transgender and queer (GLBTQ) community in the greater Portland area and to impart a spirit of fun, respect and positive competition for all levels of tennis players.
Article III — Definitions
Section I — The definition of “majority” will be 50% plus one (1). Half will not be considered a majority. This definition of majority will apply to all instances of the word “majority” in this document.
Section II — The definition of “Association” and “the Association” shall refer to all Team Portland Tennis Association participants as a group.
Section III — The term “Officer” shall refer to one of the following executive officers of the Association: the President, Vice President, Treasurer, or Secretary. As a group, these four officers shall be referred to as the “Executive Committee”.
Section IV — The “Board” shall consist of the members of the Executive Committee plus all directors appointed by the Executive Committee.
Section V — All general Board communications with the Association participants may vary at the Executive Committee’s discretion.
Article IV — Executive Officers
Section I — The Officers of the Association shall consist of the President, Vice President, Secretary and Treasurer.
Section II — The duties of the Officers are as follows:
a. The President shall call and preside over Board and general Association meetings and shall be the chief executive officer of the Association.
b. The Vice President shall assume all duties of the President in the President’s absence and all duties that may be delegated to the Vice President by the President or Board of Directors.
c. The Secretary shall give notice of meetings and keep minutes of the Board meetings. The Treasurer shall be responsible for all monies received or distributed by the Association
d. The Treasurer shall maintain accurate and current records and shall prepare monthly, quarterly, and annual financial statements.
Section III — The Officers will be elected by the Association participants.
Section IV — The terms of office for the members of the Board of Directors are as follows:
a. Officers shall be elected for a period commencing the first Sunday in October of an election year and terminating the first Sunday in October two years subsequent to that.
e. No Officer shall be eligible for more than three consecutive two-year terms in the same office.
f. Should a vacancy occur in any Officer position, it shall be filled by a majority vote of the remaining Board members within one month of when the position was vacated. This vote shall take place at an official Board meeting.
Article V — Board of Directors
Section I — The Board of Directors shall consist of the Executive Officers (Officers) – President, Vice President, Treasurer and Secretary – and the directors-at-large. The Executive Officers will appoint additional Directors-at-large as required to efficiently and effectively conduct the affairs of the Association.
Section II — The Board of Directors shall have control and management of the affairs of the Association. It shall be the duty of the Board to carry out the objectives of the Association.
Section III — A quorum shall consist of a majority of the total members of the Board in that current year and shall be empowered to transact Association business. An approval vote will consist of a majority voting “yes” on a given issue.
Section IV — The Executive Officers shall designate whatever standing and special committees that may be necessary to conduct Association affairs. The Board may appoint chairpersons for said committees.
Section V — Directors shall serve from the moment of appointment until newly elected Officers take office subsequent to the next election.
Section VI — No Board member shall receive compensation for any service he or she may render to the Team Portland Tennis Association. However, anyone may be reimbursed for the actual expenses incurred in the performance of his or her duties.
Article VI — Removal of Board of Directors
Section I — Any Association Officer may be removed from office by a 75% vote at a special Association meeting for the purpose of removing said Officer. Written notice shall be given to the Board member whose removal is being sought no less than ten (10) days prior to the meeting at which the proposed removal will be voted upon. The said Board member should have a chance to defend his or her position in the meeting prior to the voting. Any Board member may resign at any time by giving written notice to the President or the Secretary. Such resignations shall take effect on the date of receipt of such notice or any time later specified therein. Any Director may be removed by a majority vote of the remaining Board members.
Article VII — Meetings
Section I — There shall be at least one general Association meeting each year called by the President to be held the last Sunday in September. The general Association meeting can coincide with the Executive Officer election meeting of a said year. Other general Association meetings may be called by the President, at the request of the majority of the Board, or by ten (10) Association participants. General Association meetings are open to attendance by all Associations participants.
Section II — Notice as to the time and place of general Association meetings shall be communicated to Association participants at least two weeks prior to the date of the meeting. An agenda for the meeting shall be distributed to Association participants at least five (5) days prior to the meeting. Both the meeting notification and agenda shall be conveyed via e-mail to all participants who have supplied an e-mail address.
Section III — Ten (10) Association participants must be present at general Association meetings to constitute a quorum for the transaction of Association business. Association participants unable to attend the meeting in person may submit opinions to a Board member prior to the meeting. That Board member will then be required to make those submissions known at the meeting. These absent participants shall not be counted towards the ten (10) Association participants necessary for a quorum.
Section IV — Board meetings shall be held at the call of the President or at the request of three (3) Board members. All Board meetings are open to general Association participants. Association participants shall be notified of the Board meeting at least one week prior to the meeting.
Article VIII — Elections
Section I — The election of Officers in an election year shall take place at a general Association meeting which shall be held on the last Sunday in September. Subsequent sections in this Article are understood to be relevant only in an election year.
Section II — The newly elected Officers shall take office the first Sunday in October following the general Association meeting.
Section III — All Director positions from the prior term are dissolved at the end of the general Association meeting when an election of Officers take place.
Section IV — The Board shall appoint an Elections Coordinator by majority vote of the Board. The Elections Coordinator shall be responsible for conducting a fair and open election and shall operate within the time frames listed in this Article.
Section V — An announcement notifying the Association of the coming election and soliciting nominations for all Officer positions shall be communicated by the Elections Coordinator no less than four (4) weeks prior to the election.
Section VI — Nomination must all be submitted to the Elections Coordinator and presiding Association President no later than 11:59 p.m. Pacific time on the Sunday two weeks prior to the date of election. Should any of the existing Officers wish to run for an additional term in their current office or for a different office, they must still nominate themselves or be nominated by another participant of the Association. No votes may be submitted prior to nominations being closed.
Section VII — Once nominations are closed, Association participants may vote. All Association participants should be present to vote at the General Association meeting on the last Sunday of September.
Section VIII — Should a candidate for an Officer position run unchallenged, he or she will automatically be considered elected to that position on election day.
Section IX – All Association participants should be present to vote at any Association election, or any Officer expulsion meeting. No absentee or vote by mail should be accepted.
Article IX — Association Participants
Section I — All participants of the Association must be a minimum of eighteen (18) years of age.
Section II — Participants should pay a participation fee each time they attend general play to offset the cost of buying court time at the tennis court. The Board of Directors should review at least annually the fees charged to participants to attend general (weekly) play.
Section III — Only Association participants who have attended at least one weekly general play session in the last six months are eligible to vote in Officer elections or on items in general Association meetings. Participating in a tournament shall not count towards the attendance requirement.
Section IV – The Board of Directors should explore the option of charging a membership fee. The annual membership fee should be charged in an amount that would be extra to the participation charge. The monies received from membership fee should only be used to subsidize activities that the Association engages or co-sponsors, such as, but not limited to, the annual tournament (Rose City Open), or the Northwest Cup tournament.
Article X — Financial Management
Section I — All monies received and held by the Association shall be managed as follows:
g. General Association funds may be used to subsidize tournaments, to purchase court time, to purchase tennis balls to be used for general Association play or annual tournament, and other expenditures deemed to be necessary by the Board of Directors.
h. Both the President and Treasurer shall be authorized signers to the Association’s accounts. The President may opt to add one other Officer to the Association’s account at any particular financial institution.
i. The President or the Treasurer should issue checks that are payable to vendors or to conduct affairs related to the Association. Said officers may not issue a check payable to himself or herself.
Section II — A summary of the Association account activity shall be distributed via e-mail to all possible Association participants each month upon request. This summary should include the checking account beginning balance, ending balance, expenses and credits.
Section III — The Board of Directors may authorize any Officer or Board of Director to enter into a contract and such authority should be confined to specific instances.
Section IV — All funds received by the Association shall be deposited to the credit of the Association in a financial institution the Association Officers may select. All Deposits shall occur within two weeks of receipt.
Section V — The Association Officers may accept any contribution, gift, bequest, or devise for a general purpose or for any specific purpose related to the Association in the amount no more than $250. Any Association Officer who received contribution, gift, bequest or devise from any vendor or contractor should make known of such instances to other Board members, and should refrain from making a decision that would benefit such vendor or contractor.
Section VI — No person shall be liable to the Association for any loss or damage suffered by the Association on account of any action taken or not taken if said person discharged their duties in good faith and with a degree of due diligence, care, and skill which an ordinarily prudent person would exercise under similar circumstances.
Article XI — Rose City Open Tournament
Section I — The Association expressly authorizes the holding of an annual Rose City Open tennis tournament. The management of the details will be left to the Board of Directors, which may include a Tournament Director or Directors.
Article XII — Amendments
Section I — The Bylaws may be amended at any special Association meeting upon a two-thirds (2/3) super-majority vote of the participants present in such meeting. The Secretary should provide a notice 15 days to the participants of the Association prior to the special Association meeting dedicated to the proposed Bylaw amendment. See Article VII, Section III regarding what constitutes a quorum for conducting Association business.